Oklahoma City star Jalen Williams had to be stretchered off the court Sunday after suffering a gruesome lower leg injury in his team’s 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
With just 1:14 remaining in the 4th quarter, Williams was fouled while driving to the basket and came down awkwardly on his leg. When he came to a stop, his left foot was at an awkward angle causing medical personnel to rush the court immediately.
“I just feel bad for him,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s obviously going to be tough without a player like that. But he’s not gone forever. He’ll be back better than ever, and we know it. We’ve just got to hold the fort down until he comes back.”
Across 3 games this season, Williams was averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Originally selected 12th overall by the Thunder back in 2022, the 2025 NBA champion had blossomed into a key contributor for an OKC team with aspirations of returning to the Finals in 2026-27.
The 6’5″ wing was named to his first All-Star team in 2025, and was selected for the All-NBA 3rd team, and All-Defensive 2nd team as well. While the team has yet to officially announce the full extent of the injury, or any kind of expected timeline, it was apparent to everyone watching that Williams would be out of commission for a significant period of time.
Making matters worse for OKC, guard Cason Wallace (shoulder) and forward Jaylin Williams (wrist) also exited the game in the first quarter and did not return to action either. Neither of their injuries are believed to be long term, however the team will be forced to provide updates on their status Monday as they prepare to take on the Phoenix Suns.
The Thunder have begun the season a perfect 3-0 and will look to keep that momentum rolling against a Suns squad that’s looking to rebound after an up and down 2025-26 campaign. The teams will tip off at 8pm ET Monday evening.
Photo: Daoeo Onoguchi. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.